A team of McGill University researchers has found that young adults who perceived higher levels of social support reported fewer mental health problems. “Our study shows that even in cases where people previously experienced mental health problems, social support was beneficial for mental health later on,” says Prof. Geoffroy, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Youth Suicide Prevention. “We discovered potential benefits of promoting and leveraging social support as a means to protect the mental health of young adults, even in individuals who experienced mental health problems at an earlier developmental stage in life. The researchers found that people who experienced greater levels of social support experienced 47% less severe depression and 22% less anxiety than those with less social support. Future lines of research will examine whether certain types of social support – for example, parents vs. friends – is more beneficial to the mental health of young adults.
